Contact your local government: since you are talking septic, not hook up to city sewer, it's probably a county office-- in our area, its the County Dept. of Sanitation.

Cost will depend on the size of the system [which is usually based on the number of bedrooms]; materials [whether you choose a cement or plastic tank, chambers or pipes for the drainfield]; and the soil in your area [solid granite is expensive to dig through, and clay soils may not provide adequete drainage].

If you own your land already, it will have to a have a percolation (perk) test to see if it can handle a septic system. If not, there are a few ($$$$) options. If you don't have the land yet, make sure it will pass a perk test before you buy it. Even relatively lax building departments are usually fussy about septic systems- for good reason.

While the land absolutely must pass a perc test before the septic system is installed, also learn about (and consider using) grey-water systems and electric/battery toilets [such as Incinolet].

Do not consider that acreage will guarantee passing perc! I have one parcel of 16 acres which has *one* place acceptable and that for only a small field. Ouch.

Do get well-acquainted with the folks in the county courthouse. Most, if not all, of them would much prefer to help you *before* there is a problem.

Cost cannot be addressed without specifics, because there is so much variation in soil types. For soil which percs "perfectly", in an area of lower expenses (usually rural as opposed to within town limits), with cheap and un-problemed earth-moving, and choosing the least expensive option, the cost will start at about $2000 and go up rapidly. It is not rare for a septic system to cost close to $10,000 and I know of some systems which ended up costing over $20,000. Do not plan on attempting to avoid or skimp requirements because poor septic management can literally make people deathly ill.

Depending on your state, if the local authorities decide that your property is not suitable for a septic system, you may have an additional option. In some states, a Licensed Soil Scientist can design a septic system, affix their seal, and the local authorities must accept that design. Similar credentials to Professional Engineer.

If you have the land & permit approval, as minimum it will probably take 1000 for pipe, 1000 for the tank, 700 for lateral rock, & 800 for backhoe time for a total of 3500. That's assuming you can help out by gluing the pipe together. As said before, it will depend on the governing authority approval process. Do a google search for your xxxx county, XX septic tank permit. That should give you a starting point.

around here you take your plat to teh health dept and THEY tell you what you will do. they specify tank size, length of lines, where on the property your tank(s) go, etc..

keep in mind that you MUST know this before you start to build, as the plumber has to plan out the entire DWV system around it. if he has teh drain coming out the north side of the house, and teh septic is on the south side, then you can be royally screwed.

here teh leach field lines can be no more than 24" below grade(no frost line). the trench can only be 36" deep total. this means you have very little room for error as the run has to be kept short enough that the 1/4" per foot fall does not put the drain line below teh tank!

"But i forgot the big part" There are many big parts on a build. Take your time and research out the many variables such as site plannining, permiting/inspections, subs/suppliers, on and on and on. Learn and understand the process long before you plan on breaking ground and get to know people/services that are in your area and will be involved with your build. Dont jump head first into murky waters without knowing how deep it is! This is one source, there are many others out there. Talk to trades people in your area and get to know methods that work in your geographical region.

Here is a link that might be useful: owner/builder

Regulations vary widely. In our area, you can not have a field unless you own 8+ acres - otherwise it is mound only. There are also no approved grey-water systems in our area.

We ended up with a septic nightmare. The inspector designated the ditch in front of our home a "waterway" (even though it is completely dry for 360 days a year) - a huge problem as our lot is high in the front and low in the back. We also have heavy clay soil. We ended up with a holding tank and pump out system. It is not ideal; the "honeywagon" comes ever six weeks or so to pump our sewage.

Carrie

carriem25 - your post brings up a question that I've had about septic systems.

We own land that has been successfully perked for a 3 bedroom house. If we decide to go with an above-ground tank and pumpout system as opposed to a drainfield or mound, does that lift the restriction on the number of bedrooms? We really want to build a four bedroom home but are limited by the septic perk test. Of course, I know we could have an "office" drawn on the plans and use that as a bedroom, but I'd prefer to have four proper bedrooms.

My thinking was that we could have the above-ground tank be enclosed in a shed of some sort so it's not exposed to the elements and also not so obvious that we have an above-ground septic tank. We're in South Carolina so the issue of freezing temperatures is not a big factor either.

We had to get a septic designer who did the perk tests and determined which type of system we needed. (we happened to need a pressure system) He also had to identify a 'reserve' drain field that we can't disturb or build on in case we need it 'some day.' After his design was approved by the county health department, THEN we could apply for a building permit. Even though we did some of the work ourselves, and traded for some of the work, our system was $10K. It was the first step in the building process, and the last, since a paperwork screwup within the health department delayed our home's final inspection. :-\

jaynees: have you checked the price of the honeywagon in your area? This can also vary widely - we pay around $135 for each load.

We drilled a well that is considered low producing - about 1.5 gallons a minute. Because we knew going into our build that water was going to be a concern, we installed low water usage everything - low flow showers, energy star rated water using appliances, and dual flush (3 and 6 litre) toilets. We also opted not to install a large tub in the master bathroom. All of these things have paid off in spades as far as our septic in concerned. We are a family of 2 adults, 1 kid and one needs-lots-of-long-showers teenage girl, and the septic guy tells me we have one of the longest rotations of all his pump-out clients.

Carrie

If the land will not perk you still have two options.

You can install an above grade bunker type septic system or a three compartment aerated septic system, however these solutions are not by any means cheap.

We had to get an alternative septic (ATU pressure mound). Cost was $17,500, not including clearing. Standard sytem would have cost approximately $7,000. Septic design was $500 I think, plus the permit $450ish.

I'm guessing this depends on the locale, but our county doesn't even bother with perk tests. New septics are all aerobic. Only issue we might face would be in the case of a longer power outage. We are trying to mitigate that with a generator to power a few of our house systems in case of power failure.

HOLY CRAP... I was thinkin this might be fairly cheap... like at most $3000 but based on this, and the fact i wanted to go cheap... I think ima go with a out house with a space heater... I know its not the best way to go but there is no way in hell i can even consider affording anything remotely close to this.

More or less my plan was based on the idea of building a little shack on like a small parcel of land that had a near by spring... Im 20 years old and really dont have credit yet, and well no one has helped me out or is willing to help me out. If i had the kind of money im seeing thrown around i might be able to afford a slab of property. Considering a 1/4 acre around here your lucky to find for less than $30,000 So looks like im S.O.L. I give up on this project also... For the long time being...

I just asked DH and he said a "cheap, little" system (tank and field) would be about $8k. That assumes no major soil issues, etc. Maybe you could do just a tank and get it pumped, you'll have to check your local rules on that.

Septic systems typically are in areas that have no municipal water supply either. A water well and a septic system typically must be separated by a specified distance and often the well must also be a specified distance from the house. The result is that a 1/4 acre lot probably would not have the required area. In my area, lots must be 3/4 acre minimum. And a well with pump could easily be $6K or more.

"HOLY CRAP". Something your going to be saying a lot unless you get on down to your local authorities and find out everything that is required in your area. Best of luck with the outhouse!

As i said im just gonna give this project up for the moment. lol.

But thanks for all the helpful input.

Our water table is high (and we live on the west coast of Illinois). The best place for the septic (on 2.5 acres) was up hill from the house. Because of that, we needed a lift station. Total cost is $10,000

In 2006 we did our mound system for a little over $20,000. including all labor, materials, inspections and permits.

We are on heavy clay soil. Perc testing was the biggest pain for us since the county health department does them and shuts down testing for about 5 months each year. It was tough to move forward on an already tight building timeline when the critical piece was missing.

Hey Korn,
all you really need is a shovel, no outhouse required...